Father jailed for eight years for raping minor daughter in Delhi

New Delhi: A man has been sentenced to eight years in jail by a Delhi court for repeatedly raping his minor daughter allegedly with the help of his wife.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Yashwant Kumar held Delhi resident Naresh Sharma guilty of raping his minor daughter since she was 13-year-old, and refused to show leniency to him saying it would be against "societal interest."

"Any liberal attitude of imposing meagre sentence or taking too sympathetic a view particularly in such cases where a father has committed rape upon his daughter will be counter productive in long run and against the societal interest which needs to be cared for and strengthened by the required string of deterrence inbuilt in sentencing system," the court said, while also imposing a fine of Rs 5000 on him.

The court, however, acquitted the victim`s mother who was accused of abating the crime by making her daughter drink some stupefying substance after which the man used to rape the girl, due to lack of evidence against her.

Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava said 50-year-old Sharma, a resident of Pitampura, used to rape his daughter, who is now 22-year-old, after making her unconscious.

The girl told the court both her parents were involved in the crime as her mother used to force her to consume some stupefying substance to make her unconscious to facilitate her father rape her.

The girl had approached the police in 2008 along with her grandmother and had got registered a case against her parents.

During the proceedings, the doctors told the court that the girl was subjected to extreme sexual activity.

Sharma sought leniency from the court saying he has to take care of his three children and was in a private job.

The court, however, denied him leniency saying such offences are to be dealt "with severity and with iron hands" and showing leniency in such matters would be a case of misplaced sympathy.

"Sexual violence apart from being a dehumanising act is an unlawful intrusion into the right to privacy and sanctity of a female.

"It is a serious blow to her supreme honour and offends her self-esteem and dignity, it degrades and humiliates the victim," the judge said.

The court also said that leniency in matters involving sexual offences is not only undesirable but also against public interest more particularly when accused is the father of the victim.